S3 E12 The Two Bartlets
by JDPostEpisodeChallenge
Summary: written by SeaDog11


"Lights- check, island music- check, coconuts- check ..." Donna sighed as she checked each item off her list, her heart breaking a bit more with each item. Sure, the apartment looked incredible. She'd created the perfect setting for him. Soft lighting, fun music, special drinks. She'd do anything for him, and she'd always give it her all, even when it broke her. She felt her eyes start to well up again, but she admonished herself not to break down again. Not here. Not now.

Just then Donna heard the key in the lock and knew Josh was home. She was hoping they would have missed each other, be two ships passing in the night, she didn't want him to see her puffy, red eyes.

"Tahiti looks great!" He sounded so damn excited so she gave him a weak smile, hoping he would believe that it was real. She knew it didn't reach her eyes, but he had been so distracted lately, that maybe he wouldn't notice.

"Yeah all done. I'm just gonna go, do you need anything before I leave?"

"Why don't you stay? Amy's not coming over for another hour." God did he sound excited about Amy, she thought.

"No, that's okay Josh. I'm just gonna..." Donna trailed off as she arched her thumb towards the door.

"K," he said distractedly as he looked around the room. But there must have been a piece of Josh that wasn't too ensorcelled, because he stopped for a moment to look at her again.

"You okay?" He asked in that charming voice of his, accompanied with a dimpled smile.

"Yeah, I'm fine Josh," she gave him another fake smile, hoping he would buy it again, he didn't.

"Donna, what's wrong?" His charming voice became one of pure concern. And the way he said her name had been Donna's undoing. She just needed to get out the door and into her car where she had the privacy to cry. Donna knew she wouldn't be able to hold her tears back much longer.

"Nothing Josh, nothing."

"No, no Donna, it's something." He walked over to her, now he was going to get a good look at those red-rimmed eyes. "Donna, have you been ... crying?"

"No Josh. Can I please go now?"

"I don't believe you, talk to me."

"No Josh. Please, just drop it. I would like to go home now." She felt the emotion fill her voice, and she knew he heard it too.

"Donna you're upset, let me help." He reached for her arm and she backed away, leaving him a little shocked and a little hurt.

"You've done enough, Josh," she whispered.

"Huh? What do you mean? Donna what are you saying." His face was etched with a mixture of confusion and concern.

And she couldn't take it anymore. The years of misdirection, being so close yet so far, thinking about red lights. "Tahiti JOSH! Tahiti!"

"Wha- Donna I don't understand I . . ." His plea fell on deaf ears as she ran out, but not before he saw the tracks of her tears run down her cheeks.

And so he stood there, dumbfounded. He had done enough? Tahiti? Women were confusing. Josh was well aware that he had studied so much in college that he had missed something. But this? Well, most likely any guy would probably be confused by this. Then again, Donna Moss could be a confusing woman, he thought. How is it that she could go from being pissed off at him about the April anniversary flowers he got her to then sweetly telling him that he is better than her old boyfriend and that if he were in an accident she wouldn't stop for . . .

"Oh," he said aloud, his mouth now agape as the realization of what her words meant began to wash over him.

"She wouldn't stop for red lights," he whispered as he sat on his couch. It was becoming more clear, she had laid out her feelings months ago. And here he was, asking her to decorate his apartment like a tropical paradise for another woman. And she had cried, he made her cry.

Now he understood what she had meant when she said he had done enough. He had in fact, broken her heart without even realizing it.

But the moment it hit Josh Lyman that Donnatella Moss loved him was like nothing he had ever felt before. Josh was invigorated, yet he also felt a sense of calm and peace course through him. His body felt warm and his heart was beating faster, but most of all, Josh felt complete. All of their years of misdirection and banter. Everything came down to this moment:

She loved him and he loved her.

"This should all be for her," Josh thought to himself.

He always assumed he couldn't be with her . . . that she never felt the same way. Hell Josh was so blinded by that thought that he had completely missed it when she told him in her own way that she loved him. But looking back, Donna's message had been so unbelievably clear.

So he did the only possible next thing. He called Amy and cordially ended things. She of course, wasn't surprised, "Don't even say it Josh, I know why it's ending. But then again it never really got started to begin with . . ." The phone call ended shortly after that.

He put on that same navy blue sweater he wore the night he gave her flowers and they talked about red lights. Now why he remembers what he was wearing he will never know. But if Josh had to guess, it was because it was their April anniversary and because he wouldn't stop for a beer and she wouldn't stop for red lights.

Thirty minutes later he was at her apartment with flowers in hand. Of course Josh had chosen red roses as a reflection of his deep love for Donna, but he also sprinkled in purple hyacinths to express how sorry he was for hurting her. And despite having a key, Josh pounded on the door. He didn't feel right just barging in.

"Please Josh, go away," he heard her say on the other side of the door. Her voice sounded sad and it was his fault; he couldn't stand the thought of it.

"No. Donna I'm not going away. I have to tell you something."

"Can it wait?"

"No, its waited long enough."

So she opened the door and now here they are, standing face to face. She's clad in her pink flannel pajamas with tousled hair looking absolutely beautiful and for the love of God he can't figure out why it took him so long to get it together to get to this moment.

He freezes for a moment, his heart beating rapidly as he tries to remember how to speak and Donna is standing there, her body is shaking as she tries to figure out why Josh is at her doorstep. Her heart is pounding and she's sure it's about to beat out of her chest.

He finds his courage, Josh knows exactly why he's here and what he needs to say, "These are for you. I'm sorry Donna, I'm so very sorry that I hurt you . . and I'm sorry I didn't share my feelings with you sooner," he tells her in a warm, soft voice as their eyes lock. And that's when they both allow themselves to finally see what has been there all these years:

**Love.**

"I love you Donnatella Moss. I wouldn't stop for red lights either."

And before she can respond, he's dropped the flowers and his hands are on her cheeks and in her hair as he's giving her that life changing first kiss that he's been dreaming about since the day she hired herself, and it's perfect. He feels her hands brush over his neck, finding a home in the curls behind his ears as she's responding to his kiss, meeting him in a place where only two people in love could find each other. He's wrapping his arms around her, pulling her closer and holding on tight as she smiles against his lips, gently rubbing her nose against his.

Their lips eventually part, but their bodies don't as they look at each other for what feels like the first time, and in a way it was. The cloud of misdirection was gone. He hears her whisper the words for the first time:

"I love you Josh."

Then he feels her soft lips meet his again, and now he's smiling against her lips; he loves the way those words sound.

"All of that, Tahiti, it should have been for you Donna."

"No Josh."

"No? He's arching his eyebrows in surprise. Then he smiles. "No, you're right. Not Tahiti. Hawaii."

She smiles back, "We can make it a Hawaiian theme."

"No Donnatella. I'm not going to decorate my apartment for you ..." And then he's pulling her closer to his body as he whispers, "I'm going to take you to Hawaii. Because that's what a man does for the woman he loves."


End file.
